


Decay and Ruination

by fernandafsw



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Ben Solo Needs A Hug, Dark Rey (Star Wars), Dark Reylo, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, F/M, Fix-It, Force Bond (Star Wars), Seduction to the Dark Side, TRoS Spoilers, You Have Been Warned
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-29
Updated: 2019-12-29
Packaged: 2021-02-27 05:08:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,260
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22011613
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fernandafsw/pseuds/fernandafsw
Summary: TROS Fix it. Spoilers, duh.After talking to Master Skywalker, Rey is still conflicted about what she should do about her destiny. Upon arriving at Exegol, Rey has a vision of what would happen if she defied Palpatine. Ben Solo, the man she is connected with, will sacrifice himself for her. She can't let that happen. So she makes her choice.
Relationships: Kylo Ren/Rey, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 27
Kudos: 77





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Hi there! I finally got the courage to start my first fic ever! (:
> 
> This fic will be a short one and it will contain what I *wish* happened at the end of The Rise of Skywalker.
> 
> I'll apologize in advance for any grammar or spelling errors, english is not my first language but I'm trying my best! 
> 
> Hopefully you'll enjoy it!

Conflicted. Haunted. Alone. Rey felt all of those feelings at the same time, as she charted a course to Exegol with Kylo Ren’s Sith Wayfinder. A few years ago, the old Rey would’ve been more than thrilled to be piloting Luke Skywalker’s X-Wing. A Resistance starfighter. But the Rey of today had no time to think about old and silly dreams.

_Let the past die. Kill it, if you have to._

Rey laughed bitterly as she remembered what Kylo Ren had said to her in Snoke’s throne room. If only she could let her past die. The past seemed to like her too much, that it was coming back to haunt her and destroy all the she loves. Finding out about her heritage wasn’t easy. A Palpatine. The granddaughter of the Emperor herself. But it made sense to her; she knew in her heart that she wasn’t just a nobody. _A scavenger._ She had a higher purpose. But that higher purpose just might be the problem. _Rey_ knew that Palpatine had her parents killed. And that thought alone made her blood boil with anger. But she also knew that he was her only family left. _No, that’s not true,_ she thought to herself. She had a new family; Leia, Finn, Chewie, Poe, BB-8…They were the family she never had, they gave her hope for a better future. One that didn’t involved almost starving and hunting for parts everyday. They wanted to free the galaxy, to help people. They were her light.

_Join me._

But Rey also knew that she had darkness within herself. Kylo Ren had shown her that. She was conflicted, and he knew that. She wanted to join him that day at Snoke’s destroyer, but she also had to save her friends from obliteration, so she betrayed him. And it was the hardest thing she has ever done. But she had seen it, a shape of his future in a vision, solid and clear. He would turn to the light; he would be Ben Solo again.

 _I saw something too. I know that when the time comes, you’ll be the one to turn_.

As her ship entered the atmosphere of the hidden world of the Sith, Exegol, his words haunted her. She was scared that there was a possibility he was right all along. After seeing a vision of herself on the Sith throne and encountering that dark version of herself on the wreckages of the Death Star, her mind was spiraling down with questions and doubts. She knew she had anger in her heart, but she also knew there was light inside of her. Rey began wondering if that is what Kylo felt all the time, always conflicted with no one to relay on.

_You’re not alone._

_Neither are you._

Now Rey knew why Kylo needed her. Ever since their force bond began, or even before that, she knew he was drawn to her the same way she was drawn to him. It wasn’t just the force bond, it was more, so much more than that. She just didn’t know what do with that while they were at opposites sides of a war.

Rey landed her X-Wing where the wayfinder pointed that was the entrance of Palpatine’s hideout. Thunder echoed through her ears as she got out of the ship and looked at the sky. _Breathe, the answers will come, I know they will,_ Rey thought tor herself trying to calm all her emotions down. There was so much she was feeling right now; pain, anger, sadness, despair. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. Trying to remain strong wasn’t easy, but she hadn’t had an easy life either. She could do this. Whatever this was, she wasn’t sure yet.

As Rey began walking towards the entrance, she wished Ben could be there with her.


	2. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey there! 
> 
> So this chapter will contain the main throne room scene of TROS. I tried to make it look very similar to the movie, with only a few alterations in some dialogues to allow my story to move forward. 
> 
> Enjoy (:

Darkness surrounded her.

Rey could still hear the lightning and thunderstorm echoing from a distance as she walked to meet her destiny. Rey grabbed the handle of both lightsabers that were attached to her belt for comfort, she sighed and continued walking in the dark. She noticed she was approaching a massive platform on the ground and as she stepped in it, the platform began its descend towards what she could only assume it would be his lurking hole.

As the platform slowly came to a stop, Rey began her snail-paced walking again. She did not know where to find Palpatine in this forsaken place, she was purely being guided by a _feeling_ here so she had to be careful. Rey approached what appeared to be a wide dark room with Sith statues on each corner of the walls. She observed the room with fear and curiosity at her eyes; she knew this was her heritage. Rey finally looked at the center of the room and there it was, the Sith throne. Memories of her dark vision were crowding her mind as she approached the throne and as she came closer, lightning roared outside and above the cave. Suddenly, Rey heard a voice not far away from her.

“Long have I waited…for my grandchild to come home.” And as she turned her head, she saw her grandfather, her nightmare, the Emperor himself, Darth Sidious, Sheev Palpatine. Rey observed him, noticing how his eyes were all white and had no pupils whatsoever. His skin looked like it was decomposing and she also noticed that his body was being held by a big machine that seemed to help him move through the room. She remained quiet and didn’t respond to his greetings, trying to contain her emotions down. He didn’t look offended at all. “I never wanted you dead. I wanted you here, Empress Palpatine” he said while pointed to where the throne was with his rotten fingers. “You _will_ take the throne. It is your birthright to rule. Here. It is in your blood. _Our_ blood.” He came closer to where she stood and waited for her answer.

This was what Rey had talked to Master Skywalker about. He asked what she was most afraid of, and she answered _herself._ She still couldn’t believe that even though Leia and Luke knew she was a Palpatine, they still believed and trusted her. Leia trained her, treated her like the daughter she never had. Rey was incredible grateful for that. But there was also a part of Rey that they didn’t know truly and that part was making her very confused right now. “I haven’t come to lead the Sith. I’ve come to end them.” Rey said with a trembling voice. “As a Jedi?” The Emperor asked. “Yes.” She responded with almost a whispering voice. She didn’t believe in herself that much but she knew Master Organa and Master Skywalker did and they were counting on her, the whole galaxy were.

“No…your hatred, your anger. You want to kill me. That is what I want. Kill me, and my spirit will pass into you. As all the Sith live in me, you will be Empress. We will be one.” Palpatine said and smiled wickedly at her. Rey felt her body shiver under her thin clothes with fear. Whispers were echoing through her ears, she turned around and saw thousands of cloaked figures. The Sith followers. She closed her hands in fists because they were shaking too much and she didn’t want give him the satisfaction of seeing what effect he had on her. “Take my hand grandchild, there is something you need to see.” He held his right hand with his rotten fingers open for her to grab. Rey opened her left fist but hesitated and kept staring at his milky eyes. As if sensing her intentions and doubts, he grabbed her hand in his own with a snarl. She gasped as she tried desperately to let go of his fingers, but her vision suddenly began to darken and before long she stopped struggling for she was in trance. He was showing her a vision.

_All you want is for me to hate, but I won’t. Not even you._

_Weak._

_Let your death be the final word in the story of rebellion._

_I am all the Jedi._

_Ben._

Rey felt to her knees as the Emperor let go of her hand. She was breathing too fast, trying to make sense of all he had shown her. It was the future, she knew that. If the path she chose was to defy Palpatine, she would die. _Ben._ She sighed, that wasn’t all. He must be arriving soon at Exegol. He was coming for her and that made her smile and sob at the same time, for Palpatine had also showed her that Ben Solo would sacrifice himself for her. He would die so that she could live.

Putting her hands in her head and attempting to calm her breath, Rey tried to come up with something to change this. To save Ben. She couldn’t let him die, he was her other half of the dyad in the Force. But she also couldn’t doom the Resistance like this. This was an impossible decision to make, and she had to choose all the same. She had now seen one of her destinies and the consequences of it. But there was another destiny, one that she didn’t know the future of, but one where she could take control of things, one that Palpatine had offered her. She hated him for what he did to her parents, she wanted to annihilate him.

 _Empress Palpatine._ She could save Ben like this; he wouldn’t have to sacrifice himself for her. _NO_ , _this can’t be the only way._ She screamed at herself in her head. The galaxy was counting on her to deal with the Emperor, she couldn’t abandon them either. But her vision was haunting her now and she couldn’t imagine living in a universe where Ben wasn’t alive with her. They were one with the force, they needed to stay together. She needed him. She smiled bitterly as she recalled herself on the vision impulsively kissing him after he saved her. Right after that he would disappear, leaving only his clothes behind, joining the Force.

Rey was in her own mind so much that she didn’t even hear the noises from Palpatine’s machine, a warning that he was moving. She gasped as she felt a cold and raspy touch at her chin. The Emperor was grabbing her strongly with his decaying fingers, making her look up at him. “Rise, my granddaughter.” He said while keeping his fingers on her face. She couldn’t deny him because he was practically lifting her himself. As she stood up, Palpatine released her of his hold and his machine made way for him to stand in front of the room surrounded by Sith followers. “The time has COME! With your hatred, you will take my life, you _will_ ascend!” he screamed at her while gesticulating with his opens arms to his followers.

“My parents saved me from you, and you had them killed. Why would _I_ help you?” She whispered angrily trying not to scream.

“Your master, Luke Skywalker, was saved by his father. The only family you have here…is me.” Her grandfather tried arguing with her. He then pointed a finger that had more bone than skin at the ceiling of the cave, and the ceiling began opening up to show them the sky above. The fighting between the Resistance and the Final order was still going. Her friends were loosing. Rey worried for them, for there was just so little of them left. “They don’t have long. No one is coming to help them. And you were the one who led them here. Strike me down, take the throne, reign over a new empire, and the fleet will be yours! Only you have the power to save them. Only you can choose the fate of _Kylo Ren_. Refuse, and your new family dies.” Palpatine said, giving her an ultimatum. Rey then felt the world around her tremble, she stopped listening to the sound of ships firing above and she focused on her breath. And another’s. _Ben_. He arrived at the cave and was surrounded by the Knights of Ren. Ben looked up, as time seemed to stop for them just for a second. His eyes were so full of light and determination; he turned to the light, as she saw he would, and he had come to help her. Rey looked at him with worry in her eyes, he was loosing the fight and she knew what she had to do. She was looking at Ben through their force bond, but she was also in front of Palpatine at the same time as she slowly touched the handle of one of her lightsabers. Rey nodded with a painful look in her face as the Emperor smiled. “Good.”

Ben was still looking at Rey when she nodded at him and he could only imagine Palpatine at the same time. His eyes opened wide when he realized through their bond what she had just accepted to do. He wanted to scream at Palpatine. He needed to eliminate his knights and get to her soon. He was so confused; he didn’t understand why she was doing this, but if he could only get to her in time, he could save her. He had to; he lost everyone in his life for his decisions. Uncle Luke, his father and his mother were dead because of him. He could not let Rey go too.

“The ritual begins! She will strike me down, and pledge herself as a Sith. She will draw her weapon.” Palpatine’s voice reverberated through the walls. Rey took a deep breath and finally ignited her lightsaber. She had the weight of the entire universe at her back at this moment. She felt like a thousand rocks were crushing her at the same time, with no air to breathe. But she had to be strong for this, and she would be. For Ben.

“She will come to me.” Her grandfather continued with the ritual. She could still see Ben trying to defeat the Knights with nothing but the Force and his bare hands. Rey came closer to Palpatine. Her breaths were quicker now. They were now face to face. Her destiny. The man who took her parents from her, but was also her only family left. Her chance to save Ben and also her friends. “She will take her revenge. And with a stroke of her saber, the Sith are reborn. The Jedi are dead!” Rey raised her saber to strike him, she would do this, _it is the only way_ , she thought while trying to make sense of her actions. No one was coming to save her friends; she needed to help them escape at the very least. And she could that, if she controlled the fleet. If she had _power_. But first there was something she needed to do.

As she motioned herself to slice Palpatine in half, she brought her lightsaber slowly to her back and when she brought her hand forward again, there was nothing in it anymore. The lightsaber was gone. The emperor gave her a hard look.

Ben was breathing heavily as he picked the new weapon in his hand. A lightsaber. He shrugged at his rivals and continued fighting, having the upper hand now. The Knights were no match for him and his saber skills. Determined to get to Rey before things went south, he sliced through them like a madman. Chopping the head of his ex-companions as he went. Ben had blood all over his face, but it wasn’t his blood. When he finished all of them, he started running towards the moving platform. He closed his eyes. He began his descend, praying to whoever listened, to help him get to Rey in time.

Rey gave a hard stare at Palpatine’s eyes. She grabbed the handle of her other lightsaber and ignited it. She was ready.

“I’m ready to become what I was always meant to be.” She said, waiting for him to continue with the ritual. The Emperor gave an evil laugh and smiled. “Loving _Ben Solo_ is a weakness child.” Rey smiled evilly at him and positioned herself to strike him down. “We’ll see.”

Palpatine begins the ritual again. The Sith roar in return.

Ben jumps off the platform even though it didn’t reach the ground yet. He runs like he never did in his life. Rey needs him. He has to get to her. He won’t give up on her. When Ben arrives at the throne room, he slices through every guard that comes at him, he sees her now. She has her back to him and she’s about to kill the Emperor. There are too many guards coming at him now, and he knows that they’re buying time for her to complete the ritual. He screams as he cuts them in half, trying to get to her. Ben looks up again just in time to see Rey pierce Palpatine in the chest. “REY, NO!” Ben screams at her, but she doesn’t turn around. It seems as if she’s not even listening to him. The guards don’t try to stop him anymore. Ben runs toward her and is violently pulled back by an invisible barrier around Rey and Palpatine. He falls to the ground.

Rey pulls back her saber and turns it off. It’s done now. She can’t ever go back from it. She saved Ben. She did it. Palpatine’s body is still held up by the machines as his life force begins to flow through her. _Ah, yes._ This is it. The power of all the Sith. Rey screams as she receives it all, falling to the ground on her knees. She throws her head back as she receives new knowledge, a new language that she didn’t understand before. She does now.

Rey doesn’t now when the screams stops, she doesn’t know how long they lasted either. To her it seemed like she was being sucked through a black hole and all of time itself stopped.

_A thousand generations live in you now._

She remember her former Master of the Jedi saying that to her. How ironic. He was right all along. All the Sith lived in her now. Rey fell to ground with her eyes closed, as the ritual was too weary. She breathed calmly now. _Well done, grandchild._ She hears her grandfather’s voice in her head as she laid there on the ground. She smiled with closed eyes.

Ben, still in his knees, opened his eyes to see that Rey is lying on the floor with eyes closed. He gathers the little strength he has left and begins slowly crawling towards her. The invisible barrier is gone, he notices it. She is lying on her side, so he grabs her arm and brings her to him. He makes her head lay on his lap. “Rey…please wake up.” Ben tries and whispers in her ear. He can sense that he’s being watched, the Sith followers close observing his movements as he caresses her cheek with his hand. She is still breathing, so he knows the ritual worked and she is alive. He begins sobbing quietly as he looks at her. _I failed her,_ he thinks to himself. Suddenly he feels another hand caressing his own. _Rey_. When he looks at her face, she is smiling at him, her eyes are open, and her pupils are bright yellow.

**Author's Note:**

> Feel free to leave comments and constructive criticism down bellow! <3
> 
> xx


End file.
